Serratane triterpenoids from Lycopodium complanatum and their anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory activities

Phytochemical investigation of the ethyl acetate fraction of Lycopodium complanatum led to eight new serratane triterpenoids (lycomplanatums A-H, 1-8), along with five known analogues (9-13). Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic methods, including 1D/2D NMR, HRESIMS, and DFT GIAO ¹³C NMR calculation. Among them, compounds 2 and 13 showed moderate antiproliferative effects against seven human cancer cell lines, especially for MCF-7 with IC₅₀ values of 13.8-44.7 μM. Additionally, the compounds were screened for anti-inflammatory effects based on their inhibitory activities of nitric oxide (NO) production induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in RAW264.7 cells, and compounds 2 and 13 diminished NO production more potently than others in a concentration-dependent manner.

Keywords: Anti-cancer activities; Anti-inflammatory effects; Lycopodium complanatum; Serratane triterpenoids.